Canada geese complaints are on the rise in Indiana. Franklin College just got a $250,000 grant to study them.

Researchers at Franklin College have received a record-breaking research grant to study the behavior and management of Canada geese in Indiana, where the migratory bird's population is growing and so are complaints.

The four-year grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act includes a $250,000 award that will fund Franklin College's contribution to the study. The college is partnering with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Ball State University to conduct the study.

It is the largest research grant ever awarded to the small college located about 20 miles south of Indianapolis.

Ben O'Neal, an associate professor of biology at the college and one of the study's lead investigators, said the goal is to understand current methods of geese management recommended by the state and measure their efficacy and ecological implications.

Franklin College associate professor Ben O'Neal (right) works with students Clay Tressler (middle) and William Gibson to conduct a wetland survey. O'Neal is one of the lead investigators on a new study that aims to understand and improve Canada goose management techniques in Indiana.(Photo: Provided by Ben O'Neal/Franklin College)

"What everybody really wants is to have wildlife populations that are balanced, that are healthy, sustainable, that are not endangered," O'Neal said. "But we also don't want them to be overabundant to where they create problems."

Indiana's Canada goose population is estimated around 130,000, according to the DNR, but the rise in complaints involving geese in urban areas suggest that figure may actually be higher.

Indiana's Canada goose population has steadily grown within the last two decades, O'Neal said, as land development trends resulted in the addition of retention ponds and other small suburban bodies of water.

These spaces create the perfect habitat for geese, which feed on short, green grass and make their nests near the small ponds and lakes.

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Canada geese, O'Neal said, are a "flagship example" of the kind of complex wildlife situation created by animal-human interaction.

"They're one of the species that has responded most dramatically from those changes, number one," he said. "Number two, they're one of the few, really dramatic species in terms of their influence on humans. Humans are not readily disturbed by butterflies, right? But geese are large, they have a big effect on property and on people, and so they're very kind of in your face in a lot of ways."

Canada geese in metropolitan areas are particularly aggressive during the May-through-June nesting season, according to the DNR.

Because the human-goose interactions can sometimes result in aggression, the Indiana DNR has created a list of management techniques for homeowners and residents, discouraging the public from feeding the geese and encouraging landscaping modifications to keep the geese from nesting.

To ensure those methods are effectively addressing the issue, participants in the study will spend the next four years capturing and tracking the area's Canada goose population, monitoring nests to track reproduction and observing goose management techniques to better understand the birds' response. Hopefully, they'll be able to fine-tune those efforts and make them more effective.

Ultimately, O'Neal said, the study will benefit everyone involved — including the geese.

"Really, Canada geese are beautiful, majestic animals that have a pretty cool role in the ecosystem," O'Neal said, "and if we can help provide some balance, then that's everybody's desire, I think."

Canada geese and conflict resolution

Do not feed the waterfowl. Not only does it attract more geese, but it has the potential to disrupt migration patterns and large groups of geese can cause property damage.

Make landscaping additions such as vegetative buffers, rock barriers or fences to dissuade geese from inhabiting that space.

Implement daily goose "harassment" techniques such as air horns, whistles, scarecrows or motion-activated sprinklers at least twice a day — once mid-morning and once prior to sunset or any time geese are seen at that location. Do not adopt a regular routine for goose harassment, because the animals will become accustomed to the schedule.

Remove nest building materials and, in some cases, destroy the nest. It is illegal to destroy a Canada goose nest containing eggs without getting permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can register online at https://epermits.fws.gov/eRCGR/geSI.aspx.